Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar has dismissed all the misconception about fast bowlers' captaincy credentials and backed Jasprit Bumrah to take over the charge of India's Test team.
Bumrah led a spirited group of Indian cricketers to a commanding Test victory on Australian soil, securing a massive win by 295 runs in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy opener in Perth.
The right-arm quick, who stepped in as captain in the absence of Rohit Sharma, made the Aussie batters danced to his tunes at the Optus Stadium, returning with eight-wicket haul in the match.
Gavaskar expressed confidence in Bumrah’s ability to take care of the big captaincy responsibility.
“He's only 30. So yes, clearly, he has shown that he can handle the cares of captaincy. Today also, the way he made the bowling changes tells you that he is putting a lot of thought into all his moves and once again disproving all that, you know, Bakwas that goes on that fast bowlers aren't good captains,” Gavaskar told India Today in an interview.
The 75-year-old cited the examples of Kapil Dev and Imran Khan while suggesting that fast bowlers can also make good captains and backing Bumrah for the role.
“In our subcontinent itself, we’ve got Imran Khan, the fast bowler who's been a fabulous captain. And we've got Kapil Dev, two top class captains, excellent captains, so fast bowlers can also make good captains,” he added.
After getting bowled out for 150 in the first innings of Perth Test, India made a stunning comeback. Riding on Bumrah’s fifer, the visitors bundled out the Aussies for a paltry 104 to gain a handy 46-run lead.
The Indian batting line-up responded brilliantly in the second dig, with the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal (161), KL Rahul (77) and Virat Kohli (100*) registering big scores to propel the tourists to 487/6 (declared).
Setting a colossal 534-run target for Australia, the Indian bowlers produced another masterclass to skittle Pat Cummins' men out for just 238. Bumrah starred with the ball once again as he took three wickets and were ably supported by Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana and Nitish Reddy.
The second Test is slated to be held in Adelaide, which will be played with the pink-ball from December 6. Regular skipper Rohit Sharma will return to the XI for the second game, and India will also take part in a two-day tour game against Prime Minister's XI in Canberra to prepare for the day-night Test.
